Kramies

Biography

Dutch-American singer-songwriter Kramies Windt began writing songs at the age of 14 after buying his first synth, acoustic guitar and four-track cassette recorder at an estate sale in his home town of Cleveland, Ohio. Even though he was never really exposed to any music other than old Dutch Christmas records his family had lying around when he was a kid, their haunting sound would shape the direction of his future songwriting.

Kramies started forming and playing in bands around the age of 16, and by the age of 19, the bands he formed became based around the songs he was writing. The bands took on many forms, playing the underground music scene from Ohio to Chicago. Come the late ’90s, Kramies developed his own sound, based around old-world imagery of cobblestone streets, old trains and castles, and romantic, poetic moments. Kramies and his band went on to open for Spiritualized, Grandaddy, Yo La Tengo, Calexico, Stereolab, Dirty Three and Red House Painters.

Come 2004, Kramies decided to focus on writing and recording in the studio, and began working with producer and engineer Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard) and guitarist David Paolucci. Working with Todd and David, Kramies released two albums to critical acclaim: Golden Like A New Thing (ACM, 2008) and Castle of Ghosts (ACM, 2010).

In 2010 Kramies began writing the songs for his first Hidden Shoal release, The European EP, in his coat closet in Colorado. The songs were demoed on four-track, painting a vivid sonic picture of the direction the release would take, drawing on the haunting old-world imagery he loved so much as a kid. The demos were sent to David Paolucci to start working on guitar parts in Ohio. Kramies then toured Ireland, playing really old pubs and small concert halls, which brought new ideas and layers to the songs. The European EP was recorded in June and July 2011 with Todd Tobias, with prominent, swirling guitar work from Dave Paolucci.

News

• Kramies Self-Titled Album Out Now

  Hidden Shoal is proud to present the stunning new self-titled album from dream pop troubadour Kramies. The album, featuring collaborations with Jason Lytle, Patrick Carney (of The Black Keys) and Jerry Becker, represents Kramies most realised work to date. The album is available now via Bandcamp, Spotify and the other usual suspects. As always the music of Kramies is available to license through Hidden Shoal. Head here for more details.

  “This album goes far to argue that Kramies may well be included among the Rust Belt city’s great songwriters. (9/10)” – Americana UK

  “…his latest sees him weaving together hazy memories and half-remembered stories for an album of rare beauty. If you’re a fan of Grandaddy, Mercury Rev, Sparklehorse, etc, then you’re going to go a bundle for this release that unspools like a hazy dream.” – The Crack Magazine

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• Kramies ‘Owl and The Crow’, New Single and Music Video

  Hidden Shoal is proud to present ‘Owl and The Crow’, the beautiful new single from dream pop troubadour Kramies. The track is lifted from his self-titled album due out in September and is accompanied by a wonderful music video from Hidden Shoal’s very own Cam Merton.  The music video is available to stream over on Hidden Shoal’s Youtube and the track can be downloaded via Bandcamp. ‘Owl and The Crow’ follows on from a trio os single, ‘Hotel In LA’, “Days Of” (featuring Jason Lytle and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys) and “Ohio I’ll Be Fine.”

  Initially just an acoustic outtake, ‘Owl and The Crow’ was finally recorded in one take on a late Californian night in Jerry Becker’s Oakland Studio. As time went on “Owl and the Crow” only grew, with layers and images captured by Kramies’ on his travels. With glimmering acoustic guitar licks flirting with eerie instrumentals and compelling vocals, the new track follows “Hotel in LA” as a second taster of Kramies’ self-titled LP, arriving on 9 September 2022.

  Be sure to check out Kramies interview with the lovely folks at Two Story Melody. The chat covers Kramies inspiration for his previous single, his collaboration with The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Guided By Voices’ Todd Tobias and his future plans.

  Kramies’ music is available for licensing through Hidden Shoal. Head here for more details.

   

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• Kramies Interviewed at Two Story Melody

  Following the release of his beautiful new single, ‘Hotel in LA’ the lovely folks at Two Story Melody have interviewed our dreampop troubadour, Kramies. The chat covers Kramies inspiration for the single, his collaboration with The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Guided By Voices’ Todd Tobias and his future plans. Fans will not have to wait long to hear more Kramies forthcoming self-title LP with his next single, ‘Owl and the Crow’, out next week on the 12th of August.

  Kramies’ music is available for licensing through Hidden Shoal. Head here for more details.

  Kramies · HOTEL IN LA

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• ‘Hotel in LA’ – New Kramies Single & Music Video

  We’re excited to share the new single and accompanying music video for ‘Hotel In LA’, the new single from dream pop magician Kramies. The track is lifted from his self-titled album due out in September. The single is currently featured in the excellent Under the Radar music mag which you can check out here. The music video is available to stream over on Hidden Shoal’s Youtube and the track can be downloaded via Bandcamp. ‘Hotel In LA’ follows pair of new singles from Kraimes, “Days Of” (featuring Jason Lytle and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys) and “Ohio I’ll Be Fine.”

  Kramies’ music is available for licensing through Hidden Shoal. Head here for more details.

   

   

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• New Kramies Single and Video, ‘Ohio, I’ll Be Fine’

  Hidden Shoal is excited to present the gorgeous new Kramies single ‘Ohio, I’ll Be Fine’, a beautiful example of the emotional potency he’s has become known for. Taken from the highly anticipated forthcoming self-titled Kramies EP, “Ohio, I’ll Be Fine” taps into Kramies’ past, the lyrics unflinchingly facing his personal demons. Download the track via Bandcamp and watch the video on YouTube.

  Produced by and featuring Jerry Becker of Train, as well as Jim Bogios of Counting Crows, “Ohio, I’ll Be Fine” combines the artistry of these three creative minds into a wonderfully detailed, emotionally resonant song. Clocking in at a concise three minutes, the song’s animated video casts a warm, nostalgic light on the song’s lyrical imagery, lifting your spirits while tugging on your heartstrings.

  As a natural next step in a long and storied artistic career, “Ohio, I’ll be Fine” stands among Kramies’ best work to date, showcasing his knack for bringing together the personal and the universal into addictive, accessible folk-pop.

  Kramies’ music is available for licensing through Hidden Shoal. Head here for more details.

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• Stunning New Kramies Single Featuring Patrick Carney & Jason Lytle

  Hidden Shoal is excited to present ‘Days Of,’ the first single off Kramies’ new self-titled EP. This alluring and emotional centerpiece from his beautiful new constellation of songs was produced by Patrick Carney of the Black Keys. ‘Days Of’ also features Carney on drums and guitar as well as Jason Lytle of Grandaddy on synths and sounds. Download the track from Bandcamp and stream via Spotify and SoundCloud

  This union of talent between these beloved artists, as well as Kramies’s individual distinctive style and vocals, results in an example of finely honed craft. With lyrics reflecting on mortality and nostalgia set to flourishes of sonic creativity, “Days Of” sets the tone for what is to be Kramies’ most highly anticipated EP yet.

  The music of Kramies is available for licensing (film, tv, web, games etc) through Hidden Shoal.

  Hidden Shoal · Kramies – Days Of (feat Patrick Carney & Jason Lytle)

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• Stunning New Kramies Video Featured in Billboard Magazine!

  We’re excited to announce the release of the stunning new music video for ‘Of All the Places Been (feat. Jason Lytle)’ by American dream-pop troubadour Kramies. The music video for  track, taken from his new EP Of All The Places Been & Everything The End, has just been premiered at Billboard Magazine no less! The video is directed by Anya Klausner with animation by Nogland Studios.

  Created in collaboration with Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices) and Jerry Becker (Train), Kramies’ epic new EP, “Of All The Places Been & Everything The End”, transports the listener through an enchanted forest of the imagination. Profoundly coloured by Kramies’ time staying at an ancient castle in Ireland, the music is steeped in fables, myths and eerie reflections, resulting in his most vividly realised release to date.

  Kramies music is available for licensing across film, tv, web and beyond. Contact us at Hidden Shoal for more details.

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• Hidden Shoal in Textura’s Ten Favourite Labels of 2018 List!

  Hidden Shoal is incredibly honoured to have been selected as one of Textura’s Ten Favourite Labels of 2018. Textura is, in our opinion, the premiere new music magazine and favourite of the label team for unearthing and exposing new and exciting new music. This is the second time Hidden Shoal has been selected in Textura’s best labels list and as always we are nestled against some other very special labels, all of who you should check out.

  Now for a very brief and unnecessary acceptance speech – we are nothing without our incredible roster of artists, who continually amaze, inspire and surprise us. Thank you all!

   

   

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• Kramies’ First Vinyl Date

  Lovely feature over at Vinyl District where our very own Kramies tell’s all of his first love – rekkids! Check it out here.

   

   

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• Kramies Featured in Atwood Magazine

  Fantastic feature on the inimitable Kramies over at Atwood Magazine to co-incide with the release of his stunning new EP, Of All the Places Been & Everything the End. Check it out here.

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Reviews

• Kramies Self-Titled Album Reviewed at Neufutur

  “Kramies’ new self-titled album marks, in my opinion, a re-emergence. His willingness to self-title the collection is evidence of such thinking from Kramies’ himself as it suggests a sort of clearing of the decks. Changes in his personal life are in significant part responsible for a point of view shift that has Kramies looking back on the period of his life covered by these songs with a sort of elegiac melancholy. You won’t hear any longing for those days, no, but you will hear in his emotional voice the sound of a man confronting his past and, most importantly, himself.

  You may see Kramies classified as a folk performer and the label has a certain amount of merit. He’s a much more conventional performer than someone modern like Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon or other similar singer/songwriters. One of the album’s first singles, “Days Of”, begins the release with supporting appearances from The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Granddaddy’s Jason Lytle. Their presence has an undoubted positive effect on the collection, but the song doesn’t suffer in their absence.

  It’s because Kramies is the song’s indisputable heart. He’s the sort of singer who sounds like he’s living every aspect of the experience depicted within again for his listeners. His willingness to travel into emotionally thorny territory is a quality that many music fans will respond to as it accentuates a sense of stakes. This moment matters; Kramies is putting himself on the line and it never feels stagy or overwrought.

  “Hotel in LA” is one of the album’s unquestionable highlights. The synthesizer presence in the performance is much more prominent than the earlier performances. It never dominates, however. It’s one of those tracks that fall into the “dark night of the soul” category of songwriting, so it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Some will hear navel-gazing in Kramies’ lyrics while others will hear breathtaking vulnerability and honesty.

  One of the best constructed tracks included on this album and another of its singles. A folkie template bookends the song while, at about the song’s halfway point ninety seconds in, piano and other light orchestration fleshes the song out to its full potential. It has stateliness and gravity lacking in the other tracks, but that isn’t a slight. Instead, it is satisfying to hear Kramies reveal another side of his musical character.

  “Owl and the Crow”, the album’s penultimate number, is another dream-like acoustic meditation. It has a distinctly folk song bent not as pronounced in the other songs, but any differences in this vein aren’t jarring. Eight songs, by modern standards, scarcely qualifies as a full-length album, but Kramies re-educates us with this self-titled release. The eight songs he’s included connect with and fulfill listeners every bit as much as ten or a dozen songs might. Kramies has a discography anyone, mainstream or otherwise, would be proud to call their own, but this new self-titled release plumbs deeper and lingers longer. It’s an album you can come back to as well.”

  – Kim Muncie

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• Kramies ‘4:44am’ Reviewed at Queen City Sounds and Art

  “There is a fragile weariness to Kramies’ single “4:44am.” One imagines it’s the kind of song written that time of day when no one should still be up and at which time no one should be waking up unless they are working the early shift at a coffee shop or on the farm or at a hospital in some mission critical capacity. Since Kramies is a producer and songwriter by trade the coffee shop gig isn’t so difficult to imagine much less being up way too late working on music, his own or that of someone else and having a spare several minutes at the end of a long day to take stock of where his personal life has been and gotten away from him. The delicate guitar strumming and textures that accompany incredibly vulnerable and raw vocals sounds off the cuff and maybe in the initial skeleton of the song it was. Is it strictly autobiographical? Who can say but it is written and performed in a manner that suggests at least emotionally it is coming from a real place of lived experience when you reach the point in a relationship at which you must face your role in its falling into dysfunction. In America and especially in the arts it’s so easy to get into the habit of self-neglect that bleeds over into the rest of your life and get so focused on the work at hand that can stretch out and take up most of your time leaving little room for self care much less the essential activities of maintaining a healthy relationship. Kramies finds that place of regret and a will to work toward making the correction in one’s habits in order to try to make things right. But there’s a layer of nuance and realism that makes the song hit with a subtly crushing force. In singing about how he hits the ground emotionally and stays down Kramies captures that feeling of failure as a human and the sense of weakness that comes from it and in singing “While I’m gone well I’ll try not to hurt myself” and encouraging his beloved that “while you’re alone will you please enjoy yourself” then later that he’ll find his way back home but “this time I won’t lose myself, lest time gets away from me again” the songwriter acknowledges this habit that is perhaps difficult to break because of the nature of his life and bemoans the possibility while also seeking to change it but not knowing how. There’s a power in that acknowledgment that speaks volumes in a seemingly simple song. When the haze of atmospheric drones comes in mid song like how your mind can feel foggy when you’re caught up in things and swept up by the momentum of your projects it’s like an expression of the way you can get into that headspace and not be aware that’s where you’re going because it feels normal. And when that all clears out in the last fourth of the song the clarity of wanting to not be trapped in that cycle returns. It’s essentially an experimental folk song but speaks directly to how we let our lives be dictated by work and how that can warp how we relate to each other without any need for didactic political, social or psychological analysis and that’s why the song hits so hard but with a compassion and spirit of gentleness for those going through these times and definitely for those experiencing the fallout.”

  – Queen City Sounds and Art

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• Kramies ‘Ohio I’ll Be Fine’ Reviewed at Atwood Magazine

  “I had the honor of premiering Kramies’ debut album last week – after covering his music on and off for the past six years – and truth be told, I’m not done talking about it. The phrase “hauntingly beautiful” comes to mind when describing the self-titled Kramies, a stunning record that blends fantasy and reality into a lush, raw, and ethereal dream-folk triumph. Listeners are sure to find their own favorite moments of catchy music and deep meaning, and for me the indisputable highlight is Kramies‘ fourth track, “Ohio I’ll Be Fine,” a heartfelt acoustic ballad featuring Jerry Becker and Jim Bogios.

  The closest thing the folk singer/songwriter has come to “emo” music in all the time that I’ve known him, “Ohio I’ll Be Fine” is an achingly bittersweet, happy/sad reckoning with Kramies’ past and present home state of Ohio. “I grew up in Ohio, I got sober and left, my life changed and grew into what it is now,” he explains. “What’s so ironic is I just moved back after almost two decades away. I don’t know how long it will last, but I’m here in it and I’m really happy for now. Without giving to much away, I’ll say this is more of a positive so-long song than sad: It’s my ‘goodbye/hello again‘ song to Ohio memories.”

  – Atwood Magazine

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• Kramies Self-Titled Album Reviewed at Vents Magazine

  “Kramies’ self-titled full-length release is a bit of a departure for this virtual staple of the modern dreamy indie pop world. Kramies has enjoyed well-deserved attention for his collaborations with Band of Horses’ Tyler Ramsey and Jason Lytle of Granddaddy, but several EP releases as well. Lytle and another guest, The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney, are prominent during on of the album’s singles, the opener “Days Of”.

  Kramies dredges a lot of the songwriting for this album out of a place of melancholy, if not outright despair. There’s a Robyn Hitchcock-like quality surrounding Kramies’ voice during the opener. Yes, we call this dreamy indie pop, but there’s a narrow spectrum of influences exerting a hold over Kramies’ songwriting – especially this one. There’s synth-pop swelling in the background, an orchestral bent, and even a smattering of Americana poking its way through the mix.

  “Horses to Maine” continues in the same musical vein but Kramies dials up the heartache clearer than ever. Attentive listeners will latch onto the rewarded flashes of specific imagery layered throughout the lyrics of these songs and how these moments often successfully illuminate the entire piece for listeners. “Hotel in LA” is one of the earliest tracks Kramies composed for the album and certainly isn’t buoyant fare.

  It will touch all but the hardest hearts, however, as there’s nothing faked or false about the desolation and loneliness rife throughout this track. The dreamy indie pop sound that Kramies has thus far built his catalog on is an ideal vehicle for songs such as this, gloom coloring the tracks like tinsel, but never quite dragging them into the mire. Kramies’ songs, instead, seem to float above it all, distraught, but never undone.

  The acoustic guitar and other instruments in “You’d Be the Fall” are far more tethered to earth than the vocal. Kramies’ voice sounds as if it is wafting out of a fog, soothing in some ways, but seemingly disembodied and haunting. The remainder of the song follows the album’s established approach thus far, but yet it hits a different place within. It’s one of the strengths behind his work that Kramies accomplishes that, time after time.

  Very deliberate writing opens “Flowers from the Orphan” and the minor key piano underlying the arrangement hints at the song’s darker depths. Introducing female vocals contrasting Kramies’ is an excellent decision that has the same effect as the additions to the preceding track – it’s very much in keeping with the album’s material, but components such as this help it stand out more.

  “4:44am” ends the album appropriately. It is more spartan than its seven predecessors though Kramies and his acoustic guitar never disappoint. Melodies on this release are invariably sketched out but the lyrics aren’t, and many listeners will come away from the self-titled effort pegging this as among its best lyrics. Let’s hope the personal issues bogging down Kramies’ life are put to bed now, and he keeps producing engaging material like this because, while it may sail under the radar, it’s one of 2022 best releases.”

  – Jennifer Munoz, Vents Magazine

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• Kramies Self-Titled Album Reviewed at Americana UK

  “Dutch-American singer-songwriter Kramies has created an exceptional debut album of lavish dreamy folk.

  Ohio-raised musician and songwriter Kramies Windt grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Fairview Park and began his career in the ’80s and ’90s playing in local bands (Summer and Channel are two he started) before venturing out as a solo artist. He relocated to Colorado in the early ’00s around the time he also made the significant decision to embrace sobriety.

  Windt has released several well-received EP’s of his signature intimate indie folk (bordering on psychedelic folk) by way of dreampop. Unsurprisingly his 2018 EP ‘Of All The Places Been And Everything The End’ was written in an 18th century Irish castle, a foretaste of the magical realism on his extraordinary self-titled album.

  Magical realism as a literary genre genuinely  applies to Kramies’ music, with authors like Los Angeles’ Francesca Lia Block writing about the same dark undercurrent of the city as his quickly composed song‘Hotel in LA’: “The day we hang up / All your photos / In that shitty hotel in LA / California where you grew tired / Probably from the pills you use to take / A little every day.” The drums sound like ocean waves crashing on the shore.

  If the album cover looks like a Waldorf children’s book of northern European folktales, then these songs are modern fairytales in the vein of the original Grimm/Andersen ones, not the sanitized Disney versions. Putting aside the topics of addiction, breakups, abandonment, and loss of identity, all formed like the shadowy scenes of an Ingmar Bergman film, the songs themselves sound oddly light and whimsical.

  ‘Horses to Maine‘ is tastefully maximalist, with flourishes like brass building on each other into a lush sound. The Robyn Hitchcock-like ‘4:44‘ does the same, until its floating, transcendent ending that would have fit in with the first flush of English ’60s psych folk. On the ’70s-inspired ‘Ohio I’ll Be Fine,’ which Rufus Wainwright should cover someday, Kramies adopts a hurting yet defiantly dismissive attitude.

  Kramies describes ‘Owl and the Crow’ as one of the album’s most meaningful songs:

  “For one of the first times in my life I recognize instantly where the story and emotion from this song comes from. I rarely remember anything that isn’t emotionally heightened; if something doesn’t carry bits of historic emotional imagery then I don’t really care about it or remember it. This song has stayed with me.”

  The unnamed town Kramies “stumbled around,” where ‘It’s hard to stick around’ possibly refers to Cleveland. It could also be Denver, L.A., Paris, or any other city about which he has mixed feelings. But his hometown has a long-standing, intimidating musical heritage: Bobby Womack, Tracy Chapman, Pere Ubu, Trent Reznor, and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins for a start. This album goes far to argue that Kramies may well be included among the Rust Belt city’s great songwriters.”

  –  Americana UK

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• Kramies Self-Titled Album Reviewed in At The Barrier

  “American singer-songwriter Kramies has a career spanning almost fifteen years with a long string of releases that have earned him the title of ‘the dream-pop troubadour.’ The new album sees Kramies grow even more comfortable with his own unique way of working as he calls on an impressive array of special guests that includes Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Tyler Ramsey (Band Of Horses), Jerry Becker (Train), and Jim Bogis (Counting Crows/Stevie Nicks).

  What’s more impressive is how they all fit onto and in between eight tracks and provide some sort of identity continuity to the eight alternative and dreamy folk style that make up the album. Not straying too far from the comfort zone of the signature dreamy lyrical landscapes he has become known for, Kramies explains how:

  “The songs seem to all come from different time periods, the production is all unique to each piece, the songs were created in all sorts of strange ways and the lyrics are emotionally in different spaces — yet it all came together and all makes sense. It’s just like a scrapbook of photos: some pictures are old, some are faded and some are detailed, but in the end, just holding the book brings a feeling of personal history that’s been all wrapped up.”

  Stories of death and addiction and a healthy shot of nostalgia sit amidst untold chapters from his own story to date. Emotionally charged for sure, wringing out every drop of emotion and angst with engaging melodies and glimmering dream-pop themes that take us back to moments and feelings lost somewhere in time. Opening piece, Days Of sets the tone with an increasing intensity, followed by a stark and distant Horses To Maine, the latter erring towards a languid and musing ambience, bizarrely bringing to mind some Roger Waters stylings including an unexpected profanity, although the glittering tuned percussion might be a step too far for Rog. Not too long though before the cresencendo creeps up in a familiar fashion.

  The creation of vast soundscapes vies for the attention with the intimate, the up-close and personal. The shift of perspective from Shitty Hotel In LA to Ohio I’ll Be Fine a classic example, until the latter is enhanced by a grand string part that provides the swell of an uplifting moment. It concludes what would be the old side one yet the flow continues its passage into the second half as You’d Be The Fall drifts and breaks in gentle waves, leading into a sequence where the mood is fully epitomised by the song and title 4.44am. It’s music that’s made for that time of day.

  To say that Kramies highlights the attention to detail and the fragility that you get with anything by Tim Bowness and the understated songwriting quality of Nick Drake is compliment enough for a classy and beautifully crafted album.”

  –  At The Barrier

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• Kramies ‘Owl and The Crow’ Reviewed at Why Now

  “Written whilst travelling through Ireland, and subsequently recorded in one take in California, this acoustic song soaks up all the wistfulness of such a journey. The second half is, dare I say, reminiscent of Damien Rice at his emotive best. ‘Owl and The Crow’ is the second taster (after ‘Hotel in LA’) of Kramies’ self-titled LP, arriving on 9 September.”

  – Why Now

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• Kramies ‘Hotel in LA’ Review in Various Small Flames

  “With a brand of folk-inflected dream pop willing to combine history with folklore and myth, Kramies has made a name across several acclaimed EPs, but this September sees the release of a self-titled debut full-length on Hidden Shoal. Featuring Todd Tobias (Guided By Voices), Patrick Carney (The Black Keys), Jason Lytle (Grandaddy) and Tyler Ramsey (Band of Horses), the record offers a layered, ethereal sound which challenges the distinction between real and dreams when contemplating the past. Which is something single ‘Hotel in LA’ captures perfectly. “It kind of follows that timeline of my life where there was a beautiful blur between the lines of what was real and what was nostalgia in the making,” he explains. A space in which experiences are processed into memories, and all the emotional significance attached.”

  – Various Small Flames

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• Kramies ‘Hotel in LA’ Reviewed at Give It A Spin

  “Kramies is a US-based singer/songwriter with lots of experience and music on his back. Having already released the critically acclaimed EP “The Wooden Heart” as well as “Of All The Places Been & Everything The End” produced by Jason Lytle (Grandaddy), Todd Tobias (Guided by Voices), Jerry Becker (Train), Kramies has worked and performed with artists like Calexico, Spiritualized and many others.

  In one of his latest efforts in 2021, Kramies teamed up with Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) to produce “Days of,” which reached the Top 10 as a radio single. 2022 found Kramies with two songs hitting the TOP 10 on college radio. Currently, Kramies is working on his highly anticipated LP, to be released in September 2022.

  Hotel in LA, originally named “Sh*tty Hotel in LA” is one of Kramies’ fond memories, made with a person the artist used to care about and led to create this beautiful track. It’s actually one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read, and as I write this down, I feel moved. Maybe the song playing in the background is also messing with my head, but I definitely got the feels.

  little backstory about how the song was conceived. Having a travelling lifestyle, Kramies kept lots of memorabilia, photos and letters from his travels in the past.
  One of these was a letter that a significant other wrote to him. In this letter, there was a paragraph where they joked about how they had to make a hotel that was falling apart in California into something lovely. To do that, they hung photos over the cracked walls, eventually filling them with more than a thousand frames. Imagine having a memory like this and reading about it a few years later. It hits hard but has a soft touch to it. As the artist mentions, the letter and lyrics came to him when he was at the height of his drug addiction before coming clean.

  I don’t know if the drugs helped create this beautiful piece of art or if it’s just Kramies’ talent, but all I can say is I can listen to this non-stop. Knowing the back story, I paint pictures with my mind, trying to picture the sh*tty hotel, filled with all kinds of different frames and photos.

  The song has a unique vibe and moves you even without reading all of the above.
  I’m looking forward to Kramies’ new LP and hope you are too.”

  – Give It A Spin

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• Kramies ‘Of All The Places Been’ Reviewed at Fuzzy Logic

  “There’s a bunch of videos out there. Some of them are good. Some of them are a cut above. I like to think my picks for Video of The Day are a cut (or two) above.

  The last day of the year is a heavy kind of day. It’s a time when many folks think of the entirety of the year, and think about regrets of both the last year and in general. It’s not all gloom, though, as December 31 also represents the start of the beginning. Disappointment mingles with expectation on the day the curtain falls on the year, and I think this Kramies song captures that unique interplay of live wire emotions to perfection. “Of All The Places Been” is a haunted, haunting crawl through memories and into the great unknown of things to come.

  The song’s video is sheer perfection, peppered with ghosts and representing the weighted memories of the song beautifully. Listening to this makes for a heck of a way to wrap up the year, not to mention kicking off the new year.”

  – Fuzzy Logic

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More Reviews

Press Releases

Kramies The Folklore Sessions EP Release

Kramies The Wooden Heart Album Release

Kramies ‘The Wooden Heart’ Single Release

Kramies – The European EP Release

Kramies – ‘Coal Miners Executive Club’ Single Release

Artist Photos

Music Videos

Licensing

Kramies’ music is  available for licensing (master & sync cleared) through Hidden Shoal. Please contact us with some basic details about your project and the track(s) you wish to use and we’ll be sure to get back to you straight away.